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The Weird Week in Review

According to GPS Tracker, Cat Traveled with Santa Claus

Suki, a cat in Plymouth, England, wears a G-paws brand GPS tracker on her collar. It records her position every ten seconds, and her owner Melony Gallagher can find her location online. The device worked as it should for weeks -until the night of Christmas Eve. Ganger says the G-paws data logger told a tale of Suki traveling miles across town at a speed of up to 182 mph!

“She appears to have travelled several miles back and forth across Plymouth during the night, at one point travelling several miles in one minute, travelling over rooftops and to the middle of the river.

“You can see the difference in how it was moving by comparing her normal meandering route and the route travelled that night – too fast for a car and not via the streets but over the houses.

“I have not believed in Santa since I was a child but think maybe she hitched a ride in his sleigh.”

Stuck in a Washing Machine

Eleven-year-old Trinity Rhoades of South Jordan, Utah, played a game of hide and seek with her sister and cousins Tuesday. Trinity decided to hide in the washing machine, but once in, she couldn't get out. Her sister and cousins tried remedies they recalled from cartoons. First they used butter to lubricate her legs. Then they tried using peanut butter. Then they resorted to ice, which only left the girl cold, so they then poured warm water over her. The children finally called Trinity's mom, who called emergency services. They found the girl not only stuck in a washing machine, but "wet, cold, and covered with condiments." They eventually had to cut the dryer from the top of the combo laundry unit, and Trinity was freed. She has some bruising on her legs, but is otherwise uninjured.

"Felony Stupid"

Four armed men entered a house in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles last weekend. The resident, who was home alone, saw them on a security feed and called police before he was confronted by the invaders. As police surrounded the house, two of the suspects fled, while the remaining two came up with an ingenious scheme: they asked the resident to tie them up, and identify them to the police as fellow victims. The resident agreed, tied them up, and then went to tell the police what happened. Police found the two perpetrators who fled, and waited to see what the other two would do. They were promptly arrested. Officer Norma Eisenman of the LAPD told the story.

“They came out, still tied up, thinking that we were going to believe they were victims also,” Eisenman said. “That’s what you call felony stupid.”

Breaking Bad Contest Winner Busted on Drug Charges

Better call Saul! Ryan Carroll of San Carlos Park, Florida, became a local celebrity when he won a nationwide contest from Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul. Carroll, an avid fan of the TV series, was selected to fly to Hollywood and attend a private party with the show's cast. That was in September. On Wednesday, local police arrested Carroll and two other men on charges of "possession of a synthetic narcotic with intent to sell and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription." Since the investigation is still active, police declined to pinpoint what kind of drugs are involved.

Thief Walks Off with 250-pound Safe

Surveillance footage shows what happened to the safe at Stockholders restaurant in Weymouth, Massachusetts. A man walked into the closed restaurant through a side door, talking on his cell phone. Less than six minutes later, he walked out, carrying the 250-pound safe in his arms. Restaurant owner Kevin Hynes said he's never seen anything like it. He said he didn't know how exactly much money was in the safe, but “It was enough to hurt.” Police are investigating. Meanwhile, Hynes has installed a bigger, heavier safe, bolted to the floor.

Stranded Men Set Car Afire to Keep Warm

Police in Pincher Creek, Alberta, responded to a suspicious fire Saturday morning. The story behind it was gradually pieced together. Two men had been in the Honda the day before, but they became lost and then put the car into a ditch. To keep warm, they first tore the seats out of the car and set them on fire in the road. Then they set the entire car on fire.

"Their car was completely consumed by fire," said Cpl. Jeffrey Feist of the Pincher Creek RCMP. "They lit their car on fire because they thought they were going to freeze to death."

When daybreak came, the two men discovered that they were within easy walking distance of a nearby house, and set off to find help.

Rising smoke from the burned-out hulk attracted the attention of a passerby, who called 911.

Corporal Feist told the Echo that both men were in possession of cellular phones.

There you have it. A passerby could call emergency services, so there was cellular service. The two men apparently never thought of just calling for help. They were taken to a hospital for treatment of minor burns and frostbite. One of them was later arrested on outstanding warrants. Corporal Feist said that the RCMP recommends keeping emergency supplies in a car when traveling in winter -such as a cell phone- but they do not recommend burning your vehicle.

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Also on Mental Floss:

DID YOU KNOW? Marlon Brando hated memorizing lines so much that he posted cue cards everywhere to help him get through scenes.
He even asked for lines to be written on an actress's posterior. (That request was denied.)